Dr. Ernie Zarra
Ernest J. Zarra, III, Ph.D., currently teaches advanced placement and college preparatory United States government and economics to seniors at the highly state-decorated and top-ranked Centennial High School in Bakersfield, California. Zarra has five earned degrees and holds the Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, in teaching and learning theory, with cognates in psychology and technology. He is a former Christian College First Team All-American soccer player, former teacher of the year for the prestigious Fruitvale School District, and was awarded the top graduate thesis in education from the California State University at Bakersfield, California.
Zarra has authored four books, including Common Sense Education: From Common Core to ESSA and Beyond (August 31, 2016), The Wrong Direction for Today’s School: The Impact of Common Core on American Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), and Teacher-Student Relationships: Crossing into the Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Realms (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013).
Dr. Zarra has written more than a dozen journal articles, is a national conference presenter, former district professional development leader, adjunct university instructor, and a member of several national honor societies. Originally from New Jersey, he and his wife Suzi, also a teacher, and their two adult children, have resided in California for most of their adult lives.